Student Loan News, Updates and Blog Posts

As I wrote before, the first step in the process to funding your education should be completing the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA).

To qualify for the maximum amount of federal financial aid each year, including loans, students must complete and submit the FAFSA to the U.S. Department of Education annually. Submitting this vital financial aid form determines your eligibility for federal financial aid as well as scholarships, grants, and other aid opportunities. While not required, it is strongly recommended that all college-bound students complete one.

For more information on completing the FAFSA, visit http://www.fafsaonline.com and http://www.fafsaonline.com/fafsa-blog.

Why should you consolidate your federal student loans?

How about one low monthly payment, one check to write and more cash in your pocket…it’s that simple.

At the Student Loan Network, we offer a number of flexible repayment plans and borrower benefits designed to save you money. Let’s face it, life after graduation is expensive – the last thing you need to worry about is a huge student loan payment. And if that isn’t reason enough, consolidation improves your credit score and locks in your interest rate, protecting you from future increases.

Need more reasons?

http://www.StudentLoanConsolidator.com or call toll-free (877) 328-1565 to speak with one of our loan counselors.

StudentLoanConsolidator.com
A Service of the Student Loan Network
15 Cottage Avenue, Suite 501
Quincy, MA 02169
(877) 328-1565

Here’s a very interesting article from the Washington Post. Michelle Singletry ask:

“We’re told over and over again that student loans are good debt. The conventional wisdom says that, like a home loan, student loan debt will turn into an asset. But what happens when it doesn’t turn out that way? What happens when people take on tens of thousands of dollars in loans that may take decades to pay off?”

I highly encourage you to read the entire article, but you can probably see the answer she comes to. So what does this mean for parents?

Do what you can to eliminate debt. Grants, scholarships, savings… there are things you and your childcan do to lower your debt burden.

While this site will generally be focused on student loans, researching loans is not the first step in the process of funding your education. Reduced to a few steps, the process (and suggested related sites) should be:

1. Complete a FAFSA – the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – http://www.fafsaonline.com/
2. Apply for Grants and Scholarships – “free money” – http://www.studentscholarshipsearch.com/
3. Evaluate Financial Aid Reward Package
4. Consider Work Study Programs part-time jobs on campus
5. Apply for Student Loans – http://www.studentloannetwork.com

It’s a process that requires you to start early – the FAFSA should be sent in as soon as possible after January 1st! Don’t wait until the last minute to determine how to fund your educatio

If you graduated this spring, there is a good chance that your grace period has almost expired. Consolidating during your grace period will lock in the lower interest rate of 6.54%. That’s .6% less than the repayment interest rate of 7.14%. If that isn’t enough incentive, there’s always the fact that once your grace period is over, you have to start repaying your loans. Consolidation may not eliminate your monthly payment, but it certainly makes it more manageable – nearly 60% lower.

So consolidate today and simplify your finances with one monthly payment, put money back in your pocket with cash saving borrower benefits, and cut your monthly payment up to 60%. And if you’re still in your grace period – get all this plus the lower interest rate of 6.54%.

StudentLoanConsolidator.com StudentATM.com Gradloans.com ActEducationLoans.com FinancialAidPodcast.com

September – back to school time. As students return to colleges and universities to kick-off another year of studies, I find myself learning each day as well. I’ve recently switched jobs and have started working at the Student Loan Network – new position, new co-workers, new industry, etc. In order to facilitate the transition, I’m starting Student Loans 101 with the aim of keeping abreast of the Student Loan industry. A couple of times a week I’ll return to add a new financial aid term, post on the latest industry news, or just generally share what I’m learning. Hopefully you’ll learn along with me – comments are always welcome.

Today, we’ll start with some background on the Student Loan Network. The Student Loan Network is one of the nation’s fastest growing providers of student loans and related information. Since 1998, the company has helped approximately 25 million students and parents access over $1 billion in federal and private student loans, scholarships and consolidation funding for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education. Our loan products are available both on the Internet and by phone in consultation with our Financial Aid Consultants. Learn more about the Student Loan Network at www.studentloannetwork.com or by calling toll-free 877-328-1565.

Some of our sites/loan products include:

The Student Loan Network: Stafford Federal Student Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, Student Loan Consolidation, Private Student Loans, Education Loans/College Loans

I would like to take a moment to welcome Kathy to the Student Loan Network, she joined our group just a few weeks ago. While I could tell you all about her myself, I think her inaugural Blog may be the best way to introduce her.

fundingyourcollegeeducation.blog.com

As always, questions about your student loans – give us a call at 877.328.1565, or check out studentloanconsolidator.com.

Because I play a minor role in the marketing dept here at the Student Loan Network, I am always keeping my eye on the other lenders – to see how they market federal student loan consolidation and loan origination to potential customers. For a few years now, I have applied time and time again on hundreds of websites, called a bunch of companies, and even applied through snail mail. It wasn’t until this morning on my way into work that I realized the most important stand alone factor for all these companies – the level of personalized customer service.

Sure, a website can be flash heavy, graphically pleasing, and packed full of rich useful content – that may be enough for some people to feel confident enough to apply. But if I was to call a company and speak with one of their customer service reps, if I don’t feel like the most important person in the universe during that conversation, I’m probably going to call the next person on the list. I’m not saying the representative should brown-nose you into applying – that would just be another dodgy sales technique. More so, the rep should simply provide their direct number/ext./email in case you have questions further down the road. Having a name and direct contact info is an important part of this transaction – after all, you(the customer) is providing sensitive personal information. And what is so difficult about having a postitive attitude?? I can’t count the number of companies I have spoken with and been totally turned off by their bitter know-it-all attitudes. Additionally, a follow up call or email several day’s later is important as well.

Long story short – our goal at the Student Loan Network is to exceed that level of service. Not because of the implied personalized marketing approach, but simply because each one of us are customers too – we have all experienced good and bad customer service in our personal lives.

So while your shopping around for a student loan consolidation over the next few weeks, make sure to look for the company who can provide you with the best overall savings – but also pay a little attention to the level of customer service you get. Give us a call today to consolidate your federal student loans at 877.328.1565, and see if we measure up.

StudentLoanConsolidator.com StudentATM.com Gradloans.com ActEducationLoans.com FinancialAidPodcast.com

For those of you who graduated this past spring, in a few weeks your federal student lender is going to contact you with your repayment schedule. This will mark the end of your 6 month no-payment grace period. Welcome to repayment. Now, if you haven’t consolidated your loans yet, please get in touch with us right away. I can’t stress this more – if you consolidate your loans within your grace period, you can still lock in the lower grace interest rate of 6.54%. Additionally, consolidation reduces your monthly payment up to 60%, so take whatever you currently have to pay per month, and chop that by 60%. If you have 20k in loans, your payment before consolidation would be around $227 – after you consolidate, $150.

Give our loan counselors a call at 877.328.1565 and ask them how much you can save – they’ll provide a quote for you in minutes. Or you can start an application and even eSign by visiting studentloanconsolidator.com.

StudentLoanConsolidator.com StudentATM.com Gradloans.com ActEducationLoans.com FinancialAidPodcast.com